Too many hurdles for teacher merit pay

Merit pay for teachers? The “real” business world bases pay on merit, so why not?

Tie it to state testing? OK. Wait! Only math and language arts are tested yearly by the state, with science tested in fourth and eighth grades. So, I ask state Education Commissioner Bret Schundler, who supports the merit pay concept: How do you propose merit pay for all teachers?

How is a gym teacher who has more seniority than a math or language arts teacher — and thus is making more money — “measured”? If a student gains weight, is the teacher “accountable”?

How about social studies? This subject is never tested. How about foreign languages, art, music, etc.? How can you measure the student achievement of these teachers?

So, to save money, maybe we should eliminate all teaching positions except math, language arts and two years of science. That would save a ton of money and then we can “focus on accountability” in the only subjects children need to be well-rounded individuals.

I am sorry. Schundler and Gov. Chris Christie are too far removed from the educational system to understand how the responsibility and dedication of all teachers affects the success of students. Some rankings put New Jersey first in student achievement in the United States. Leave well enough alone.